Thread: C12 is a pint-sized powerhouse

Hi Braingeyser welcome to the forum and more so the Festool section of it.

The C12 battery drill is by no means a small feat having been engineered to provide a niche in this profile of the market.

Festool provide a great range of tools which has taken me years to convince myself of the true value of the well made and practical uses of their ranges of tools available to the tradesman/home handyman.

The Kapex becoming available is certainly going to be worth looking at in terms of an investment in quality if Festools previous record is to be taken into account.

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Cheers
Cheers

Great first choice! I hear in a few months the Li version may be released.

Be careful mate. They bite....
Cheers

Shed,
That's the old CDD12 you were using, not the new C12. The C12 has a mircroprocessor controlled motor with a built-in anti-finger-eating function. As soon as it senses blood, the motor stops briefly, and then reverses for a couple of revolutions to stitch the wound back together.

As an additional protective measure, the C12 maintains an on-board database to record the frequency of blood detection. If you exceed the threshold for blood detection events, the drill will automatically sieze the bit within the workpiece, thereby slamming the butt of the battery pack around to slap the operator in the head. The thought with this feature is that it is intented to slap some sense into the user with a few head butts, and this should reduce the frequency of the blood releasing events.

So far it is not know how effective this blood-deterrent function is with an aborant blood spewer, because to date, the system is known to have engaged only once, and that was when a GMC sales rep tried to use the drill.

:d

Originally Posted by Powertoolman

Shed,
That's the old CDD12 you were using, not the new C12. The C12 has a mircroprocessor controlled motor with a built-in anti-finger-eating function. As soon as it senses blood, the motor stops briefly, and then reverses for a couple of revolutions to stitch the wound back together.

Will this be branded as the DrillStop? And can it detect hot dogs?

Originally Posted by Braingeyser

When the sales dude at the local all-tools shop tried to sell me a 12v drill, I had to stop myself from laughing in his face. Then he told me the price and I almost bit my tongue off . Well I reckon I must be a soft touch, because 20 minutes later I walked out with a $600 cordless drill thinking have I done and how am I gonna get this one by she-who-must-be-obeyed.

To bring this thread back to life. I am looking at the cattledog now and wondering what battery size did you get? There are 3 capacities and I was wondering are the two smaller ones worth having? Obviously the biggest would be best but I am not convinced it will be necessary.

I have all three battery sizes at my disposal and I generally just grab whatever is handy because it doesn't make much difference to me. If you only use the drill every once in a while, then I would go with the smaller battery because it will charge faster when you need it on a whim.

If you are going to work the drill hard and drain the battery rapidly, then the NiCd is better because it supports a higher current draw.

If you use the drill every day and want long power with light weight, then go with the NiMH.

I also have the C12 was is just an awesome drill. I also have the 3Ah hydride battery. It does last a very long time.

But more than just how long the batter lasts aren't the hydride batteries better than NiCd ones because the former do not have any memory? That is, if I'm going to be working a long day and want my batteries completely full I can "top" up both my batteries without thinking about doing any damage to them?

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

But more than just how long the batter lasts aren't the hydride batteries better than NiCd ones because the former do not have any memory? That is, if I'm going to be working a long day and want my batteries completely full I can "top" up both my batteries without thinking about doing any damage to them?

No, I thought the no-memory thing was with the newer lithium-ion batteries. Which festool doesn't use yet. (The lithium-ion batteries are also A LOT lighter than the NiMH batteries)

Thought I'd add a weekend experience for you. I have a Metabo power grip, a DeWalt 14.4v and a Festool drill. Each of them was last charged two weeks ago on the same day. Weather since then has been very cold.

Yesterday I grabbed the Metabo - both batteries flat.
Then the DeWalt - both flat.

The Festool only has one battery and it worked like I had charged it yesterday. If I'd had to wait to charge the other tools I would have lost over an hour of my time.

Originally Posted by Groggy

The Festool only has one battery and it worked like I had charged it yesterday. If I'd had to wait to charge the other tools I would have lost over an hour of my time.

Groggy, which type of battery, NIMH or NICAD?

I bought the C12 today and yet to try it. One question, has anyone used a depth stop chuck and how does it work. I am considering buying one as mine was the poverty model with only two chucks.

I've used the fast fix chuck. I think the amount of control is greater without it, although I haven't used it in plasterboard, which I reckon it must have been designed for. I used it to sink screws in subfloor. Some were flush, some proud, some buried. It was set all the way deep, which should have buried them all. It wasn't awful of course, just think your money might be a bit better spent elsewhere.